Transitions and mobilities: girls growing up in Britain 1954-76 and the implications for later-life experience and identity

In detail

Award winner: Sara Hobolt

Institution: London School of Economics

Value: £120,805

What “Brexit means Brexit” means to citizens

Within the rhetoric surrounding the UK’s European Union referendum, the options of “leave” or “remain” do not give clear guidance on what kind of Brexit people want or will accept. The question at the heart of this project, therefore, is of import to policy-makers: which negotiation outcomes will be considered legitimate by the British public? Brexit negotiations will involve complex policy questions, including the trade-off over whether the government should prioritise controlling the inflow of immigrants from the EU or prefer-ential trade agreements with the bloc. But there are other policy choices relating to EU budget contributions, EU subsidies, financial services and the European Court of Justice that did not feature on the referendum ballot. This study aims to shed light on what Theresa May’s repeated epithet – “Brexit means Brexit” – means to ordinary people. What expectations do voters have of Brexit, what process do they want the negotiations to take and, ultimately, what outcome do they want?